Lester Piggott: I could have won more Derbies - Telegraph Horse Racing Lester Piggott: I could have won more Derbies Epsom legend may have won a record nine Derbies but he believes it could easily have been more Going strong: Lester Piggott, 79, still believes the Derby is the greatest horse race in the world Photo: REX FEATURES By Marcus Armytage 5:06PM BST 03 Jun 2015 Lester Piggott, 79, will be at Epsom, his spiritual home, on Saturday for the Investec Derby, a race he rode in 36 times and won nine times, a record which no jockey will get near any time soon. Piggott’s visits to England from his home on the shore of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, where his doctor had suggested he go for the air after two heart attacks, are few and far between. But he follows British racing on television and keeps in touch with Joe Mercer and Jimmy Lindley, weighing-room colleagues who started out as apprentices with him in the early 1950s.

No one else in the 235-year history of the Derby has mastered the tricky contours of Tattenham Hill as well as Piggott, and the sight of his famous cocked rear end just behind the leaders, three off the rail, as the field swept into the straight was enough to send shudders through the trainers of all the other runners watching from the stands. He had an uncanny knack of imposing his will on horses and in at least two of his Derby victories, on Roberto, who beat Rheingold by a short head in 1972, and The Minstrel (1977), who wore down Hot Grove in the last 25 yards to win by a neck, Derby history might well have been different had the jockeys been switched – and one of them was Willie Carson. In that era, the Derby came to revolve around one thing; what would Lester ride, which is all the more remarkable considering his then indifference to the media made Ryan Moore look like the patron saint of public-relations workers.

“I could have ridden two or three more Derby winners had things panned out slightly differently,” said Piggott, who turns 80 in November and is now more than happy to do his bit for the Derby as an ambassador for Investec. “If I’d stayed with Vincent O’Brien a bit longer, or if I’d stayed with Noel Murless longer. It could easily have happened.” He even reckons his first ride in the race, as a precocious 15-year-old on Zucchero in 1951, was one that got away. “Zucchero was a very good horse, but he was temperamental and difficult to get to line up. There were 33 runners, starting stalls didn’t come in until 1967. Ken Cundell, his trainer, had to lead him in. He got left and finished down the field behind Arctic Prince. But when they met in the King George, Zucchero was second and the Derby winner was six lengths behind him and he also went back to Epsom and won the Coronation Cup in 1953.

Life became a lot easier with stalls.” In 1954, Piggott, then 18, won his first Derby on Never Say Die – “I’d been second before, but the first always stays with you” – and almost three decades later his last on Teenoso, in 1983. In a golden 10-year spell from 1968 he won it five times, four of them for Vincent O’Brien, and he believes it is no coincidence that another five Derby winners have emanated from Ballydoyle since Aidan O’Brien took over. “Apart from the fact that they were all bred to win the Derby, Ballydoyle has a Derby gallop which replicates Tattenham Corner. I think that’s a big advantage. Even Vincent’s ordinary horses, which you never heard of again, finished placed. When they come to Epsom they adapt so easily. I don’t think the gallop was built specially, it was just how the land was.

It was luck really, because when he bought the place he was thinking about Cheltenham rather than Epsom.” In what Frankie Dettori might see as a boost for his chances on Golden Horn this year, Piggott said that there was often a doubt about O’Brien’s colts getting the trip. “In the Derby, it helps if a horse has a bit of toe and you have to squeeze a mile and a half out of a mile-and-a-quarter horse.” He still reckons it pays to be “up with the pace”. “Obviously it depends on the horse, and some can’t keep up, but it’s nice to be just behind the leaders off the bend. Sir Ivor was back a bit, and halfway up the straight I was wondering if I’d win, but I was riding him to get the trip.” Surprisingly, the three best horses Piggott has seen include only one Derby winner and none that he rode. “Sea-Bird, Ribot and Frankel were the best – in that order,” he said.

“I was beaten two lengths by Sea-Bird into second on Meadow Court in 1965 and Pat Glennon, his jockey, said before the race all he was worried about was being able to pull up the horse before the road [by the old parade ring]. In the race, he started pulling up about a furlong and a half out – that’s how good he was. Ribot was exceptional. He was unbeaten and won two Arcs. We all saw what Frankel did.” Many things about British racing are different from Piggott’s era. One of the most obvious is the size of jockeys. Piggott was not known as the Long Fellow without good reason, at 5ft 8in he was one of the tallest and he could ride at 8st 5lb. Now the likes of Richard Hughes and James Doyle would dwarf him. “George Baker,” he said, “is a good jockey, but he’s about 7ft tall. I had to work hard at the weight but jockeys nowadays can ride 100 winners a year and not be a pound less than 9st.

I didn’t eat much and there were days when you didn’t feel great on it. A lot of things are better now. I think modern jockeys are pretty good. Ryan Moore’s the best, Frankie’s still got it. You could pick out five who are better than the rest.” But one thing Piggott insists has not changed is the Derby’s position as the world’s most important Flat race. “It’s still the greatest race. It is a hard test and I don’t think you find that anywhere else. “Epsom is not how you’d design a racecourse, but it’s got something no other track has. No one ever remembers who won the big races in Singapore or Dubai, but they always know what won the Derby.”] Piggott on his nine wins in the Derby 1. NEVER SAY DIE (1954) He was a left-handed horse and not nearly so good when he raced right. 2. CREPELLO (1957) One of the two best horses I won the Derby on. He took the 2,000 Guineas but had bad legs and was hard for Sir Noel Murless to keep sound.

He broke down when training for the St Leger and never ran again. 3. ST PADDY (1960) He was good and we knew that before he ran at York first time out as a two-year-old. But he ran away with me on the way to the post and had a race before he started. Next time out they put a gag on him and he won the Royal Lodge by five lengths. He was fourth in the Guineas, won the Dante and took the Derby by three lengths. 4. SIR IVOR (1968) He had spent the winter in Italy before winning the Guineas and Derby. He then got beat in his next four races, but ended up winning the Champion Stakes and Washington International. I know he got beaten a few times, but of all my Derby winners he had the most brilliance about him. 5. NIJINSKY (1970) He was the last horse to win the Triple Crown with the Irish Derby and King George thrown in for good measure, but I never thought it was a great year. 6. ROBERTO (1972). His win was overshadowed by controversy.

Bill Williamson won the Guineas on him but was injured and I got on him. I couldn’t see him being beaten in the Irish Derby next time, but he only beat two home. 7. EMPERY (1976) Horse racing: Lester Piggott, king of the Derby | Sport | The Guardian King of the Derby Clare Balding The great Lester Piggott was the best jockey in the world for decades. He rode his first winner aged 12, his first Derby at 18 and went on to win racing's most famous Classic nine times, a record that will surely never be beaten. Fifty years after that first Epsom success, Lester, famed for his wry sense of humour, a love of money that landed him in jail, his troubled relationships and his astute judgment of horses, talks about his long and eventful life in racing... but not in long sentences Saturday 29 May 2004 19.30 EDT First published on Saturday 29 May 2004 19.30 EDT Share on Messenger Close What is the key quality that a horse must possess if it is to win the Derby?

Is it impeccable breeding, stamina, a calm temperament, an ability to quicken up in a matter of strides, the preparation of the trainer, the skill of the jockey or the quality of his form leading up to the race? All of these things matter, but, according to the man who has won more Derbys than anyone else, there is a one-word answer. Lester Piggott thinks, but not for long, before muttering: 'Balance.' A meeting with Lester in the run-up to the Derby is akin to being granted an audience with the Dalai Lama in an attempt to discover the meaning of life. The answer is often shorter than expected. In Lester's case (it is impossible to refer to him as Piggott, for he supersedes the surname epithet), the answer to the eternal conundrum is, and always will be, balance. 'It doesn't matter how big the horse is, you can tell if it's going to act around Epsom,' he says. But how do you know? Do you have to gallop them down a hill? Do you have to ride them in a race? Do you have to feel how they handle a left-hand bend? Do you? Do you?

Lester looks mildly amused. The man with all the answers but neither the will nor the capability to explain. 'You just know,' he says. 'A lot of them you can tell just by looking.' Of course you can. Silly me. Lester is not big on words. Nor on giving an opinion, even though he is asked for one on everything from breeding to bread by everyone he meets. His partial deafness and the speech impediment that muffles his voice have contributed to his lack of ostentation although, in truth, his character would have impeded any effort at gregariousness. It suits him just fine not to be the greatest interviewee in the world; and Lester makes himself perfectly understandable when he wants to be understood. The reason that balance is so crucial to success in the Derby is the nature of the course. From the mile-and-a-half start, Epsom climbs to a height of 500 feet above sea level between the seven- furlong marker and the six, from where it sweeps violently downhill and left-handed into Tattenham Corner. Any horse struggling to maintain its pace or being asked to quicken feels as if its legs are being taken from underneath it.

Over the next three furlongs, the course drops 90ft, but the gradient becomes more gradual with half a mile to run. As the horses enter the straight, the camber (the course slopes away from the Grandstand to the far rail) accentuates any tiring and any tendency to hang to the left. According to trainer David Elsworth, Epsom is no better than a funfair ride. For Lester, Epsom was a problem to be solved and no one in the history of racing has cracked it more often and with more assurance than L Piggott. The old sage will be 69 this year. He is alert, polite and reserved. It is 50 years since he first won the Derby on Never Say Die, the first of an unprecedented nine victories. His first Derby ride, in 1951 at the age of 15, was an inauspicious start. Lester was on board a talented but temperamental horse called Zucchero, who planted himself at the start and refused to go forward until the rest of the field were granted an unassailable advantage. What did the young jockey learn from his first experience of the Derby?

'Not to get left at the start.' Three years later, and having been suspended for six months for dangerous riding along the way, he became the youngest jockey to win the race, on the 33-1 shot Never Say Die. He had picked the horse as his Derby mount when he was 100-1, purely because of his physical conformation. Even then, he could tell just by looking. As wild celebrations of Classic success go, Lester's was unimpressive. He went home to mow the lawn. 'It was a bit unexpected, really,' he says. 'The owner wasn't there and there was nothing going on. I never thought to celebrate. It was very different in those days and there was always a big race the next day, so I just got on with it.' Looking at the photographs of Lester's Derby rides, it becomes evident that there is a pattern. At Tattenham Corner, he is nearly always in the same place: about sixth and one horse off the inside rail. 'That's the place to be, if you can be,' he explains. 'It means you can go when you like. If you don't have to make up ground coming down the hill, it helps.

A lot of times you think you'd love to be there, but your horse can't do it, so there's no point trying.' Did anyone help Lester along the way, or advise him when he arrived at his Derby-winning formula? 'No, not really,' he replies. Right. Silly me. Again. The modern world of sporting celebrity is anathema to men of Lester's generation and attitude. The mere idea of him being photographed lying on a fluffy rug in front of the fire or turning up at glitzy showbiz parties in a sarong is comical. His verdict on professional sportsmen and women turning into public property is abrupt and simple. 'It's not a good thing,' he says, although he does acknowledge that in today's world it comes with the job. 'Times are different now. We didn't have to do publicity, so it didn't matter.' With experience comes sagacity and there have been few who gained experience as young as Lester. 'You have to remember that I rode my first winner at 12, so by the time I won the Derby I was a veteran.

I'd been riding in races for six years.' Despite his disapproval of over-exposure in the media, the best jockey riding today in his estimation happens to be the most famous. If Lester had a runner in the Derby, he would want only one jockey to ride it: 'Frankie.' His tone is assured. This was not some glib comment trotted out for the sake of column inches. He had thought about it before and he means it. Dettori is yet to win the Derby, but that matters not, according to the one who knows. 'It's just unfortunate that he's never won it. He will do some time. I told him to ride Shaamit [the 1996 winner trained by Piggott's son-in-law, William Haggas], but he couldn't at the time. He knew he'd made a mistake and don't forget that he could have ridden Lammtarra [winner in 1995]. He's the best at the moment.

There are a few who are good, but I think he's the best.' This unexpected flow of dialogue leads me to ask whether the judgment of a jockey in picking the right horse to ride - if he is lucky enough to be in a position to choose - is as important as his judgment in the race itself. Lester was renowned as a great judge and as a ruthless colleague. If he thought a certain horse could win a big race, he would ensure that the owner knew he was available and willing to replace its regular rider. 'It's got to come your way,' is his assessment of picking Derby rides. 'There are other horses I could have ridden, like Royal Palace [winner in 1967, the year after Piggott had left his trainer Noel Murless], but equally I would not have been on the horses I was on if I hadn't done it the way I did.' Piggott and Murless, the most fearsome combination in British racing, parted company in 1966 after Lester chose to ride a filly for Vincent O'Brien in the Oaks rather than a filly trained by Murless.

Lester argues that since he had no formal contract to ride for Murless, there could have been no breach of contract. In the newly published Lester's Derbys, he admits to being 'sad' about leaving Murless after 12 years but says: 'I never thought I was doing the wrong thing.' The filly that had caused the ruck duly won the Oaks and in 1968 Piggott got the leg-up on Sir Ivor, the first of four Derby winners that he rode for O'Brien (the others being Nijinsky, Roberto and The Minstrel). He had, naturally, done the right thing. Murless and O'Brien were the best trainers he ever knew. O'Brien more technical, to the point of being fastidious, but both, in Lester's view, 'exceptional'. Ask him to rank today's trainers and he is reluctant, saying that there are too many of them to evaluate them properly (whether that means too many good ones or just too many is unclear). 'It's hard when you're not riding,' he says.

'It's hard if to say if they're any good and mean it when you don't really know.' After about half an hour, I had worked it out - Lester does not say anything he does not mean, which leads to his sometimes saying very little. His wry sense of humour contributes to the most wonderful one-liners. For example, talking about the week before Nijinsky's Derby in 1970 that he details in the book. He had been riding in Paris on the Sunday, Sandown on Monday, then flew back to Paris on Monday evening to gallop a horse, then back to Sandown for racing on Tuesday, then to Ireland late on Tuesday night to give Nijinsky his final bit of work on Wednesday morning, then to Brighton for the afternoon, followed by Paris again on Thursday, Newbury on Friday and Newmarket on Saturday. Lester was so tired he could barely walk and, standing on the scales, realised that he had lost half a stone and was down to 7st 12lb. Bear in mind that Lester Piggott stands at more than 5ft 7in, which is tall for a jockey, and such dramatic weight loss would have sapped his energy to a dangerous degree.

Lester's summing up of the situation? 'Well, it was hot.' Nowadays he still looks lean and hungry, despite weighing 20lb more than he did in his riding days. 'I still don't eat much,' he says. 'Once you get into that way of not eating, it's hard to change.' Lester's favourite food is ice cream, something that would have done him well in that hot summer of 1970. Had he been a naturally lighter man, as was his great adversary Willie Carson, Lester might have won more than his 11 jockeys' championships, but records and statistics matter little to him. 'I always thought I was a jockey doing a job of work,' he says, expanding on his Epsom record. 'That's why I have never thought I was exceptional.

It was unbelievable to win all those Derbys, but it was a job of work.' The one statistic that did matter was to reach seven Derby winners, with Empery in 1976, and so set a record, beating the six victories of Jem Robinson between 1817 and 1836 and of Steve Donoghue between 1915 and 1925. 'I always thought Steve Donoghue's record was fantastic. That was special, so to break it was....' He pauses while he considers the correct adjective, 'Nice.' Understated to the last, unlike the journalists who have written about him over the past half a century. I refer him to some of the more lyrical prose written in his honour, for instance this assessment, as chronicled by Tony Morris, after what was to be his final Derby win, on Teenoso. Lester was 'the supreme artist plying his craft from the saddle, his genius as sublime as that of a Rembrandt or a Beethoven, and his accomplishments on the same plane. In the sporting world there has been nobody to match him in his lifetime....

George Best bestrode his sphere like a colossus for a season, Garry Sobers for perhaps five, but for the best part of three decades - truly the best part for us who know - Lester has been the pre-eminent leader of his field.' If you thought Lester might appreciate being reminded of such extensive praise, you would be wrong. He laughs out loud and says: 'Well, they can write what they want.' Lester had laughed during that Derby as well, so easily was he travelling on Teenoso. A wonderful photo in Lester's Derbys shows Lester swinging off Teenoso as the runners make the final turn out of Tattenham Corner. He is farther forward than usual and looking sideways at Brian Rouse on board Neorion. So, what was he saying? 'Look at this, I'm only doing half-speed.' He does not recall Rouse's response, although it probably ended with 'off'. Teenoso galloped away on the softest ground Lester ever encountered in a Derby to win by three lengths. It could have been 30.

Did he get more satisfaction out of a long winning margin or out of a hard-fought, narrow success such as those on Roberto (who won by a short head) and The Minstrel (a neck)? 'To win the Derby is always special,' he explains, 'whether you win by a nose or by ten lengths. It doesn't matter how far because a short head is as good as a mile, as long as you win.' He is equally clear in his assessment of himself as a jockey. When was he, over his 47-year career, at his best? '1960.' Why? 'Because I just couldn't get beat.' He might be taking the mickey, being deliberately precise because there is no accurate answer to the question. Then again, he has spent his lifetime not saying things unless he means them, so you have to take his word for it. The year 1960 was when he won his first jockeys' championship and the year in which he won the Derby on St Paddy. In truth, though, he could 'get beat' and duly did in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes on board the hot favourite, Petite Etoile.

On a happier note, 1960 was the year that he married Susan Armstrong, with whom he had two daughters, Maureen (now Haggas) and Tracey. The Piggotts are still married, despite a few hiccups along the way - Lester's alliance with Anna Ludlow produced a son, Jamie, who is now 10 - but as is racing's way, everyone accepts the situation as relatively normal and gets on with it. Jamie rides a bit, but beyond that information, his father offers little more. Lester's life now is tranquil compared to the chaos of his heyday, but he still 'gets about to different places' and goes out on the gallops occasionally. He has not ridden this year, but does not sound as if he never will again. He keeps tabs on the runners from his son-in-law's yard, as well as those from his own yard, which is leased to James Toller. Last weekend, Toller won his first Classic with Bachelor Duke in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. The horse was carrying the colours of the late Duke of Devonshire, who died this month.

Piggott had ridden many times for the Duke, notably on the brilliant mare Park Top, on whom he was narrowly beaten in the 1967 Arc de Triomphe (and still blames himself for her defeat). 'The old Duke had gone so many years without a good one,' he says. 'It was a real shame he wasn't around.' That was as close as he was going to get to any sentimentality, but he is more expansive about the horse itself. 'I hope he goes on and improves. He might even be as good as Haafhd [who won the English 2,000 Guineas]. He looked beaten, but when Seb [Sanders] walloped him, he didn't half pick up. Now that's a good sign.' Did Lester back Bachelor Duke? A huge smile spreads across his lined face and the answer is clear. He undoubtedly would have got better odds than the 12-1 starting price. Which brings us neatly to the money thing. Lester has always had the reputation of a mercenary, a man for whom money is the only reason for doing anything.

When talking about the Derby's place in the pecking order of importance for today's jockeys, the value of it is never far from his mind, 'There are so many big races now, but it's still the race,' he says, before adding: 'It's worth a lot of money, you know.' He wishes it had been worth as much in his day, that is clear. If he were riding now, would he like to ride for Aidan O'Brien and the team at Ballydoyle or for Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin? He thinks for a moment, the various elements going through his mind - quality of horses, facilities at each training centre, the type of races that they contest, the way the horses run, the prospect of a winter in Dubai or a winter at home. 'Well it's a toss of a coin really. Money doesn't come into it....' He pauses and I think I must have got him all wrong, that the thrill of riding good horses really was worth more than the amount by which they could enhance your bank account. Then he says: 'They're both worth about the same.' You should not be surprised.

After all, this was the man whose fondness for money landed him in jail in 1985 for tax evasion. He served a little more than a year of a three-year sentence. He read the Racing Post every day and made friends with those fellow inmates who shared an interest in the sport. Occasionally he still sees some of them. For most, going to prison would be one of the most terrifying experiences of anyone's life. Stepping into an unknown environment, far away from home, surrounded by convicted criminals. 'No, it wasn't frightening,' decrees the great sage, 'just a waste of time.' Equally a waste of time, in Lester's mind, is any great sense of guilt or regret for the mistakes he may have made along the way. 'You can't do much about it,' he says, leaving the rest of the sentence unfinished. The major downside to his prison sentence was the stripping of his OBE. There have been various campaigns over the years to persuade the powers that be to think again, but to no avail. 'It's silly, really,' Lester says, 'but they never go back.

They won't give it back to me now.' It is hard to tell how much that hurts or humiliates him, but probably rather more than he would care to admit. One message comes through loud and clear: Lester Piggott does not have time to feel remorse or sadness for the things he cannot change. He does not waste his time wondering how much he misses race-riding because 'it's gone'. 'I like to think that only at Derby time they remember me. When you finish, you're not entirely forgotten, but that's it. You have to accept it. It's over.' With this year's Derby less than a week away, he has taken an interest in the main contenders and will 'probably' have a bet. 'I think it's difficult this year,' is his considered assessment. 'I like the favourite, Yeats. He's done everything asked of him, but a lot of good judges won't have him. Of the others, they're only there with a chance. North Light is a good horse, but he's not exceptional, but then neither are any of the others. 'Snow Ridge has a chance. The talk in Newmarket is that he's been working well.

American Post didn't move great in France that day [in the French 2,000 Guineas]. I think the weather will play a part, but it's not clear right now.' What is clear is that he knows the form of each horse, has watched them closely and maintains his renowned good judgment, but trying to persuade him to share it is like coaxing a reluctant racehorse. He is saved from being forced into a premature judgment by his mobile phone, which rings to a surprisingly funky tune. Remarkable and unpredictable to the end, Lester politely takes his leave. Why Lester Piggott will always be the king of Royal Ascot - Mirror Online Sport Why Lester Piggott will always be the king of Royal Ascot Lester Piggott was the punters' pal all year round, but the 'long fella' cast his biggest shadow over the bookmaking industry in the sunshine of Royal Ascot. Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email Lester Piggott was the punters' pal all year round, but the 'long fella' cast his biggest shadow over the bookmaking industry in the sunshine of Royal Ascot.

If 30 British classic wins wasn't a big enough statement of his superiority in a golden age of jockeyship through the 1950s, 60s and 70s, what about his amazing total of 116 Royal Ascot winners, casually notched up when top hats and morning dress was only required for four days in mid-June compared to five in the modern era. Of course, having the pick of horses trained by the likes of turf legends Noel Murless, Vincent O'Brien and Henry Cecil helped - as did his ruthlessness in offering his services to anyone whose horse took his eye - regardless of any loyalty that person may have had to a regular coachman. But was Piggott that good? You bet he was! In terms of confidence he was the Dettori of the day. In terms of putting the perfect pace to the race he was the Cauthen. In terms of riding audacity he was, well, simply Lester - the best around at a time true greats such as Breasley, Hutchinson, Mercer et al were plying their trade. He was born to ride. Grandfather Ernie won two Grand Nationals at Aintree.

Dad Keith was a jump jockey and Grand National winning trainer while mum Iris was a Rickaby - a member of one of the great racing families. Having won his first race at 12, the Lester Piggott Royal Ascot blitzkrieg was launched when he made all to land the Wokingham as a 16-year-old in 1952 on threelength winner Malka's Boy. It ended with College Chapel's Cork and Orrery win on June 17 1993 - the last in the careers of both the greatest jockey and the greatest trainer - O'Brien. And don't forget Piggott even sent out Cutting Blade to win the Coventry during his only season as a trainer, before serving 366 days at Her Majesty's pleasure on account of tax irregularities. Piggott somehow found time to fall foul of the Jockey Club too. Just a fortnight after notching up his first Derby win on Never Say Die in 1954, Piggott found himself a marked man on the same horse in the King Edward II Stakes.

The race was more rodeo than horse race and any number of jockeys could have been called to account for the trouble - most notably Sir Gordon Richards. But Richards was beyond reproach in the final days of his career - he suffered his careerending fall just over two weeks after - and Piggott was singled out and banned - now unthinkably - indefinitely. It turned out to be for six months. Unlike the pleasure the old Club members got in teaching the young upstart a lesson, it's unlikely Piggott's incarceration gave Her Majesty anything like the satisfaction he had given her in 1961 when he steered the Royal filly Aiming High home in the Coronation Stakes. Everybody has a favourite Lester moment. From the fun angle, Swing Easy's New Stakes win in 1970 was the best. For some reason his connections had tried to name him Busty Bra as a yearling, but Weatherbys vetoed the idea, so he was named Swing Easy instead. That gave Lester a giggle. That Ascot was fairly quiet with a brace of winners for the great man, but 1965 certainly wasn't.

He booted home an amazing EIGHT highlighted by a blistering effort to win the Royal Hunt Cup on the grey Casablanca. His Gold Cup win on Fighting Charlie was sensational and Lester made the big race of the whole meeting his own, winning it 11 times in all. His second winner, Gladness in 1958 was historic as it sowed the seeds for the Piggott/O'Brien domination of the late 60s through the 70s. But the horse Piggott will always be remembered for in the Gold Cup was the Francois Boutintrained Sagaro. There are some horses that can rightly be described as freaks - Sagaro was one. Top class over distances well shy of the 2m 4f trip at Ascot, Sagaro possessed a turn of foot more befitting a miler than a stayer and - boy - did Piggott know how to use it. The pair demolished future jump star sire Le Bavard by four lengths in 1975. That was easy but a year later Piggott was at his best, producing Sagaro with a dazzling late run to grab Crash Course close home and win by a length.

If any horse was made for the great man it was Sagaro. Lester Piggott in numbers 1935 .. The year of Lester's birth. He was born on November 5th to Keith Piggott, a successful National Hunt jockey and trainer, and wife Iris. 12 .. The age Lester had his first winner. He rode The Chase in the Wigan Selling Plate at Haydock on August 18th 1948. He had his first Derby ride, aged 15, in 1951 on Zucchero, who was behind winner Arctic Prince. 8 .. The number of winners Lester rode at the 1965 Royal Ascot meeting. Then it was only over four days. 30 ..The number of classic winners ridden by Lester. The first came in 1954 when he rode 33-1 shot Never Say Die to victory in the Derby. His last was in the 2,000 Guineas of 1992, aboard Rodrigo de Triano. 9 .. The number of Epsom Derby winners kicked home by Lester.

After Never Say Die in 1954 he won on Crepello (1957), St Paddy (1960), Sir Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Roberto (1972), Empery (1976), The Minstrel (1977) and Teenoso (1983). 4,493 .. The total number of winners ridden by Lester. His last winner came - aged 58 - in October 1994 on Palacegate Jack at Haydock. He retired finally in 1995. 366 .. The number of days Lester spent in prison after being found guilty of tax fraud in 1987. He was originally sentenced to three years.

Piggott was stripped of his OBE, awarded in 1975.First past the post ..Lester Piggott's Royal Ascot winners Gold Cup: 11 winners Ardross '82 Ardross '81 Le Moss '79 Sagaro '77 Sagaro '76 Sagaro '75 Fighting Charlie '65 Twilight Alley '64 Pandofell '61 Gladness '58 Zarathustra '57 King's Stand Stakes: 7 Never So Bold '85 Solinus '78 Godswalk '77 Abergwaun '73 Swing Easy '71 Majority Blue '63 Right Boy '57 Hardwicke Stakes: 7 Jupiter Island '85 Critique '82 Meneval '77 Relay Race '74 Karabas '70 St Paddy '61 Elopement '55 King Edward VII: 6 Saddlers Hall '91 Aurelius '61 Pindari '59 Arctic Explorer '57 Court Command '56 Nucleus '55 St James's Palace: 5 Bairn '85 Jaazeiro '78 Thatch '73 Petingo

 '68 Roan Rocket '64 Coronation Stakes: 5 Chalon '82 Roussalka '75 Lisadell '74 Calve '72 Aiming High '61 Ribblesdale 3 Strigida '61 Gallina '75 Bracey Bridge '65 Prince of Wales's: 3 Crimson Beau '79 Anne's Pretender '76 Gift Card '73 Coventry Stakes: 3 Solinus '77 Galway Bay '75 Young Emperor '65 Queen Mary: 3 Amaranda '77 Abelia '57 Pharsalia '56 Queen's Vase: 3 Evzon '82 General Ironside '76 Blood Royal '75 Queen Anne: 5 Trojan Fen '84 Mr Fluorocarbon '82 Belmont Bay '81 Baptism '79 Sparkler '72 Cork and Orrery: 9 College Chapel '93 Thatching '79 Saritamer '74 Welsh Saint '70 Mountain Call '68 El Gallo '63 Tin Whistle '60 Right Boy '59 Right Boy '58 Norfolk Stakes: 5 Niche '9

2 Magic Mirror '84 Precocious '83 Emboss '77 Faliraki '75 Jersey Stakes: 6 Rasa Penang '81 Hard Fought '80 Gay Fandango '75 Young Christopher '64 The Creditor '63 Favorita '61 Windsor Castle: 3 Defecting Dancer '93 On Your Mark '66 Carnoustie '58 Chesham Stakes: 7 Right Dancer '82 Cajun '81 Star Way '79 Meadow Mint '71 Ribofilio '68 Swift Harmony '65 New Move '60 King George V H'cap: 4 Sea Chimes '79 Marcus Brutus '66 Brave Knight '65 Sunny Way '60 Bessborough H'cap: 3 Billion '78 Polmak '67 Raccolto '63 Queen Alexandra: 2 John Cherry '77 Hickleton '71 Royal Hunt Cup: 4 Jumping Hill '76 Katmandu '69 Casablanca '65 Spaniards Close '63 Wokingham H'cap: 3 Boone's Cabin '75 Ginnies Pet '

74 Malka's Boy '52 New Stakes: 4 Swing Easy '70 Falcon '66 Tin King '65 Abermaid '61 Gold Vase: 1 Absolve '53 Ascot Stakes: 1 Lexicon '69 Rous Memorial: 3 Sweet Moss '65 Petite Etoile '61 Firestreak '60 Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent Most Read Most Recent Lester Piggott - Top Jockeys - HorseRacingJockeys.com Lester Piggott Circuit: United Kingdom Lester Piggott descends from a line of successful jockeys.

His father, Keith Piggott, rode the winner of the Champion Hurdle in 1939 and went on to be a prolific trainer; his grandfather, Ernie Piggott, won the Grand National as a jockey in 1912, 1918 and 1919; his granduncles were the Cannon Brothers, Mornington and Kempton, who won the Derby in 1899 and 1904 respectively. With a family tree like this it is no wonder that Lester chose to become a jockey; however, no one would have expected the third generation rider to be quite the legend he turned out to be. At twelve Piggott won his first race at the famous Haydock Park racecourse on a horse named The Chase, and set the pace for what would become a fairy-tale career. When he was only eighteen, Lester Piggot rode his first winner at the Epsom Derby, a success he would repeat eight more times throughout his time as a jockey. One of his later Epsom Derby wins in 1970, perhaps the most memorable after his premier, saw him piloting legendary race horse Nijinski.

Remarkably Piggot won his last Epsom Derby in 1983 on Teenoso, at 48 years of age. Despite of his 'tall statue' of 5'8" - 173 cm - and his subsequent struggle with his weight, Piggott managed to revolutionise the sport of horse racing, inventing a racing style of his own which was widely adopted on racing circuits across the world and is now considered almost standard form. His outstanding sportsmanship earned Lester Piggott a position as stable jockey at Noel Murless early in his career; later he would be in the employ of Vincent O'Brien. In 1985 Piggott retired from racing... ...with stacks of awards and tried his hand on training. Sadly he didn't have the same talent for finance as he did for racing and was jailed in 1987 for tax 'irregularities'. Piggott served a year of his three year sentence and upon his release took back up the reigns, staging a comeback as a jockey in 1990 - at 65 years old. Ten days after announcing his return to the track, Piggott has won the Breeders' Cup Mile.

Lester Piggott rode his final winner in 1994 at an unbelievable 69 years of age and finally retired for good in 1995. He still follows the races, especially the annual jockey awards, which have been named 'The Lesters' in his honour. His efforts continue to be praised in the most interesting ways, with pubs named in his honour and bands incorporating him into tunes (see Van Morrison 'In the days before Rock'n'Roll') - all tell-tale signs that Lester Piggott might well be the most popular and unconventional jockey alive.

The Derby: Lester Piggot recalls a near miss - Telegraph Horse Racing The Derby: Lester Piggot recalls a near miss Success at last: Lester Piggott rode R C Clark's Never Say Die to his first victory in the Derby back in 1954 By J A McGrath 12:01AM BST 07 Jun 2008 Lester Piggott, who this year celebrates the 25th anniversary of his ninth (and last) Derby winner, Teenoso, has always believed that the improvement a horse can make in the last two weeks of May is the deciding factor in Epsom's big race. The Derby: Runners and riders | Epsom diary Teenoso was probably not the best example, however. A tough and durable racehorse, he always looked likely to cope with the big day, which in his case served up soft ground. He provided trainer Geoff Wragg with a Derby winner in his first season with a licence. Piggott will tell you that, for him, the horse that made the most staggering improvement was one that didn't win, Gay Time in 1952, his second ride in the Derby.

A week earlier, the colt had instilled so much confidence in his 16-year-old partner that, despite odds of 25-1, he was expecting him to win well. "I thought he was a certainty," the great jockey told me. "I had ridden him at Salisbury over a mile and a quarter and he won by three lengths. In the three weeks since he ran in the 2,000 Guineas, he had improved out of sight," he added. The Form Book reports Gay Time won the Druid Stakes at Salisbury on May 21, 1952, beating four rivals. Seven days later, he finished second to the Charlie Smirke-ridden Tulyar in the Derby. He was beaten threequarters of a length. Piggott's great friend Sir Peter O'Sullevan recalled the drama in the home straight. "Lester came back and wanted to object, and I don't think there is any doubt 'Smirkey' was laying all over him. There was no way he was going to be upstaged by a young kid in the Derby." Piggott and Gay Time parted company after the line and the colt bolted.

It was more than 20 minutes before he was caught. These days, Piggott, 72, has regained good health, having survived two heart scares. As usual, he was a guest at the Derby Club Dinner in London on Wednesday, and he was in great form. Looking back on his fantastic record at Epsom, there are two Derby winners that stand out. As far as the general racing public are concerned, Nijinsky, in 1970, would be Piggott's most popular winner. Trained by Vincent O'Brien (now 91, and Epsom's guest of honour this year), the colt went on to complete the Triple Crown by winning the St Leger. But Lester has always maintained that Sir Ivor was his best Derby winner. The exciting finishing thrust produced by Raymond Guest's colt in the home straight is memorable, and the way he finished off his race dispelled doubts about him staying the mile-and-a-half trip. No horse with stamina limitations could have gone to the line so strongly and so positively. Racing calendar At the time, all anyone ever wanted to know was what Piggott would ride.

His being in the saddle was guaranteed to send the price of the horse plummeting. Time may have changed, but no doubt, Lester will be raising a glass today to Sir Ivor, Nijinsky and the other seven Derby winners who helped make him part of Epsom legend. Lester Piggott makes A House call for Derby | Daily Mail Online comments Sixty years on from his first Derby ride on Zucchero and nobody can provide an array of impressive numbers like Lester Piggott. Champion jockey 11 times, 30 Classic wins, including a record nine in The Derby, plus 116 successes at Royal Ascot in a total of 4,493 career wins in Britain that only Sir Gordon Richards and Pat Eddery have bettered. But even after all the extraordinary successes which followed that first Derby run on an unplaced horse, it is the race with which he has become inextricably linked. Whip hand: Piggott looks back with pride on a stunning career 'It was a great honour to ride in The Derby,' said Piggott. 'It was a much bigger event back then. We didn't have all these other big races.

'There were no stalls in those days and Zucchero never wanted to start. He had to be led up and didn't always get away. He didn't that day. He finished in the middle but he was very good because he was second in the first ever King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes later that season and the horse that won The Derby (Arctic Prince) was way back. 'Of course, i t was disappointing. We knew he was good if he wanted to be but he didn't always want to be.' Disappointment was not something Piggott had to endure too often. He rode his first winner aged 12 and enjoyed his first Derby victory on Never Say Die at 18.

His remarkable redemptive winning comeback in the 1990 Breeders' Cup on Royal Academy after the three-year jail sentence for tax evasion stands out and when he pinched the whip of French jockey Alain Lequeux in the 1979 Grand Prix De Deauville after losing his own, he explained: 'Well, he wasn't going to need it.' His wicked sense of humour was demonstrated by his 'Missing me?' comment to the El Gran Senor team as they gathered round his replacement, Eddery, who was beaten by Secreto in the 1984 Derby. Great memories: Lester Piggott on Nijinsky after 1970 Derby win Lester, 75 last November and 16 years into his retirement, is not quite the Old Stoneface of his reputation. That first disappointment in The Derby, now the most prestigious leg of the 35-race Qipco British Champions Series, was ultimately eclipsed by his association with equine icons of the sport. 'Nijinsky was exceptional and great at that time of year,' said Piggott of the last horse to complete the Triple Crown in 1970.

'It was quite a good Derby he won. He'd had colic the night before and we were very worried but he was OK on the day. He was always prone to it. Inside, I think he used to get worked up, a bit like some people!' His personal favourite though was Sir Ivor, in 1968. 'I know Sir Ivor got beat a few times but he was the one with the terrific speed, even more than Nijinsky. Different years are impossible to compare but I always thought so much of Sir Ivor because he did not really stay a mile and a half and didn't like the firm ground. That's why he got beat a few times, but he was a really great horse.' By the time of Nijinsky, finding out what Piggott was going to ride in The Derby was an annual national obsession. No other jockey seemed safe as Piggott was portrayed as a ruthless mercenary, ready to unceremoniously oust colleagues from fancied rides. 'When you're a jockey, you just try to get on the best horses,' he said. 'That's what you're there for. It's the same in every game.

In the hunt: The Queen's colt Carlton House has been declared fit for Saturday's Derby at Epsom 'When Gordon was riding, he could take any ride he liked, no matter who you were. Down the ages, it's always been like that and if someone offered you the ride on the favourite, you are not going to turn it down, are you? If you have won something a few times, like The Derby, people are always coming for you. 'Sometimes it was obvious what I was going to ride, like Nijinsky and Sir Ivor. But in a lot of ordinary years it was just how it fell.' Piggott finds it hard to explain the innate skills that made him stand out. 'A lot of it was instinct,' he said. 'I just did what I thought was right.' At Epsom - an undulating, unbalancing track that he mastered - that really stood out. Piggott said: 'It is an awkward track, difficult for the horses and jockeys and unlike any other. It's not an ideal racecourse!

BEST LESTER In a career that spanned 40 years, Lester Piggott won a record nine Derbies out of 36 on some of the most iconic horses in flat-racing history. . . 1954 . . . . . . . . . . . . Never Say Die 1977 . . . . . . . . . . . . The Minstrel 1983 . . . . . . . . . . . . Teenoso 'All my winners acted on the track. The ones that didn't act, didn't win. You never really knew before though. A big horse like Nijinsky, he still won because he was so well balanced.' The importance of adapting to the course was ably demonstrated by Carrozza, which Piggott rode to victory in the 1957 Oaks, the first of five Classics won by The Queen. Piggott, who also landed that year's Derby with Crepello, recalled: 'The filly I rode was only little but she acted round there. I got right up the inside in the straight and she won by a head. She was a bit lucky.

'It was fantastic because I had won The Derby and The Queen was just beginning in racing. She had bred the filly at the royal studs and really loved her.' Her Majesty's Carlton House, which lines up as favourite tomorrow, is looking an even better bet. 'It's hard to get away from him,' said Piggott. 'He's been the most impressive of all the trials. 'Pour Moi is a very good horse but I think Recital is probably better. He'll be in the first three.' In the old days, Carlton House's jockey, Ryan Moore, would have been nervously glancing across the changing room towards Piggott. Now, the man who threatens to build a Piggott-like reputation after his 2010 Derby and Oaks wins on Workforce and Snow Fairy simply receives plaudits. 'He's on top of the game,' said Piggott. 'He could ride anything. If he wasn't on Carlton House, he could have ridden the second or third favourite as well.' They used to say that about Lester.

Question: On which horse did Lester Piggott ride his last Derby winner in 1984?
Answer: TEENOSO